Online tournament integration

ABSTRACT

A plurality of game titles each associated with at least one tournament may be hosted on a gaming network platform. Real-time gameplay data in matches involving the plurality of game titles may be tracked. Each match may be associated with a stream. Memory may store stream parameters and metrics associated with the at least one tournament. A predefined achievement may be identified for the at least one tournament when the tracked gameplay data for a match meets the stored metrics. The identified achievement may be determined to meet the stream parameters. A notification may be provided to the user device that includes a link to a stream of the match.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a continuation and claims the prioritybenefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/908,569 filed Feb. 28,2018, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,953,335, which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to game tournaments. Morespecifically, the present invention relates to online game tournamentintegration.

2. Description of the Related Art

There are presently a wide variety of online games played in a varietyof different modes. Some games are played head-to-head against one ormore player, while others are played in teams, which may or may not beagainst another team. The ability to compete against other playersand/or teams lends itself to tournament-style play. Similar toreal-world tournaments, such a tournament for online games may involvesetting up, identifying qualified players, ranking or seeding players,bracketing or matching each round, scheduling competitions, resolvingdisputes, broadcasting the tournament competitions, resultsverification, and timely communication of tournament data.

Many game titles do not provide native support for tournament-styleplay, however. As such, current online tournaments may be run byend-users or third parties whose systems are not integrated into thegame and which therefore lack visibility and insight into in-game andtournament activities. Such online tournaments may therefore experiencesignificant barriers to entry, as well as face problems inimplementation. Such problems may lessen enjoyment and other benefitsnot only for the players, but also for spectators, commentators andother streamers, developers, sponsors, etc. As a result, tournaments maytend to be run by third parties for popular titles with numerous expertplayers. Such tournaments may exclude or at least be discouraging tonovice players, as well as fail to offer less popular game titles.

One problem in the early stages of holding a tournament may involveskills evaluation. Tournaments are more competitive and thereforesuccessful, for example, when disparities in skill level are not toogreat. Expert players may find it boring to play inexperienced players,while the inexperienced players may find it demoralizing to play expertplayers. Further, such games as played between players of wide disparateskill level are often short and have predictable outcomes, leadingspectators to be bored as well.

Spectators may further face difficulties in identifying competitionsthat are part of a tournament, as well as obtaining tournament-relatedinformation. A spectator of games may avail themselves of a stream froma variety of online media outlets (e.g., Twitch). Such outlets maypublish games from numerous players (including players who are notparticipating in tournaments), however, making it difficult or at leastinconvenient for the spectator to identify which games are part of aparticular tournament of interest. Such inconvenience risks loss of aninterested audience of spectators.

The ability to attract, retain, and encourage repeat spectators isespecially important to professional and semi-professional players whosegameplay may be sponsored. In addition to players who may be sponsored,commentators and other individuals who may seek to provide contentrelated to tournaments may also face various difficulties in obtainingtournament data.

There is, therefore, a need in the art for improved systems and methodsfor online tournament integration.

SUMMARY OF THE CLAIMED INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention allow for online tournamentintegration. A plurality of game titles each associated with at leastone tournament may be hosted on a gaming network platform. Real-timegameplay data in matches involving the plurality of game titles may betracked. Each match may be associated with a stream. Memory may storestream parameters and metrics associated with the at least onetournament. A predefined achievement may be identified for the at leastone tournament when the tracked gameplay data for a match meets thestored metrics. The identified achievement may be determined to meet thestream parameters. A notification may be provided to the user devicethat includes a link to a stream of the match.

Various embodiments may include systems for online tournamentintegration. Such systems may include at least one game network serverthat hosts a plurality of game titles each associated with at least onetournament and tracks real-time gameplay data in matches involving theplurality of game titles and associated with a stream. Systems mayfurther include at least one tournament server that stores one or morestream parameters and one or more metrics associated with the at leastone tournament, identifies a predefined achievement for the at least onetournament when the tracked gameplay data for a match meets the storedmetrics, determines that the identified achievement meets the streamparameters, and provides a notification to the user device, thenotification including a link to a stream of the match.

Further embodiments may include methods for online tournamentintegration. Such methods may include hosting a plurality of game titleseach associated with at least one tournament, tracking real-timegameplay data in matches involving the plurality of game titles andassociated with a stream, storing one or more stream parameters and oneor more metrics associated with the at least one tournament, identifyinga predefined achievement for the at least one tournament when thetracked gameplay data for a match meets the stored metrics, determiningthat the identified achievement meets the stream parameters, andproviding a notification to the user device, the notification includinga link to a stream of the match.

Yet further embodiments may include non-transitory computer-readablestorage media having embodied thereon programs executable to performsuch methods as described above.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 an exemplary network environment in which systems for onlinetournament integration may be implemented.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for onlinetournament integration.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating another exemplary method for onlinetournament integration.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of an electronic system with which someaspects of the subject technology can be implemented.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present invention allow for online tournamentintegration. A plurality of game titles each associated with at leastone tournament may be hosted on a gaming network platform. Real-timegameplay data in matches involving the plurality of game titles may betracked. Each match may be associated with a stream. Memory may storestream parameters and metrics associated with the at least onetournament. A predefined achievement may be identified for the at leastone tournament when the tracked gameplay data for a match meets thestored metrics. The identified achievement may be determined to meet thestream parameters. A notification may be provided to the user devicethat includes a link to a stream of the match.

Such online tournament integration may allow for tournaments to be heldby individuals, developers, and other vendors. Providing onlinetournament integration may involve simple and generic tools for settingup and running a tournament at the platform level, while providingvisibility into specific games. As such, a user may use such tools toset up a small tournament with friends who are casual players, while anevent planner may use such tools to run a large tournament with numerousparticipants, complex rules, and involving even a plurality of gametitles.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary network environment 100 in which asystem for online tournament integration may be implemented. Networkenvironment 100 includes public network 102, which can include one ormore private networks, such as, a local area network (LAN), a wide areanetwork (WAN), or a network of public/private networks, such as theInternet. The Internet is a broad network of interconnected computersand servers allowing for the transmission and exchange of InternetProtocol (IP) data between user devices connected through a networkservice provider. Examples of network service providers are the publicswitched telephone network, a cable service provider, a provider ofdigital subscriber line (DSL) services, or a satellite service provider.Public network 102 allows for communication between the variouscomponents of network environment 100. Public network 102 iscommunicatively coupled to gaming network 104, which may further providea network of computing resources configured for implementing onlinetournament system 112.

As illustrated, players 108, 109, and 110 are permitted access to onlinetournament system 112 using respective client devices (e.g., 108A, 109A,and 110A). Although client devices 108A, 109A, and 110A, are depicted asgame console devices, it is understood that the client devices caninclude various types of processor-based systems, including but notlimited to: personal computing devices, smartphones, tablets, otherportable gaming devices, and the like. Such client devices 108A-110A mayalso be configured to access data from other storage media, such asmemory cards or disk drives as may be appropriate in the case ofdownloaded services. Client devices 108A-110A may include standardhardware computing components such as network and media interfaces,non-transitory computer-readable storage (memory), and processors forexecuting instructions that may be stored in memory. Example of hardwaresystems that can be used to implement the client device are discussed infurther detail below with respect to FIG. 4.

Similarly, developers (e.g., 105, 106 and 107), are permitted access toonline tournament system 112 via their respective computing systems(e.g., 105A, 106A, and 107A). Developer computing systems 105A-107A mayinclude any type of server or other computing device as is known in theart, including standard hardware computing components such as networkand media interfaces, non-transitory computer-readable storage (memory),and processors for executing instructions or accessing information thatmay be stored in memory. The functionalities of multiple servers may beintegrated into a single server. Any of the aforementioned servers (oran integrated server) may take on certain client-side, cache, or proxyserver characteristics. These characteristics may depend on theparticular network placement of the server or certain configurations ofthe server. It is understood that a greater (or fewer) number of playersand/or developers can be engaged with environment 100, without departingfrom the scope of the disclosed technology.

The players 108-110 may be registered with a user account associatedwith gaming network 104. Such user accounts may allow the user to accessand play a variety of media titles on the gaming network platform.Gaming network 104 may further provides its registered users withoptions for verified accounts (e.g., for professional, semi-pro, orother celebrity users), team management, community tools, eventstracking, social tools (e.g., friends lists), following other accounts,instant messaging, browsing live and archived streams, and otherfeatures related to playing or spectating games on the platform.

Gaming network 104 may be integrated with online tournament system 112so as to allow for automatic communication of gameplay data. Thegameplay data can be received by online tournament system 112, forexample, using an application programming interface (API), such as API114. Subsequently, the gameplay data can be passed from API 114 tostatistics module 116 for use in player analysis. In a similar manner,game-play statistics can be collected by API 114 and passed tostatistics module 116. Depending on implementation, gameplay statisticscan be collected via active monitoring of an online game environment, orreceived from one or more external systems, for example, as part of agame performance data set that includes information describingindividual player performance for one or more game titles and/or genrecategories.

Online tournament system 112 may create and support tournament-stylecompetitions between various players 108 (or teams of players) and forvarious game titles, as well as support related activities for streamersand spectators. A tournament may be created by a developer 106, player108, or third party organizer (not pictured) by submitting a requestover public network 102 and gaming network 104 to online tournamentsystem 112. A tournament may be organized, for example, in conjunctionwith the new game title release. Such a tournament may specify that thetournament season starts one month after the game title release and lastfor three months. Players who register may be ranked during the season,and such rankings may be used to determine seeding and bracketing duringthe tournament. Such rankings may carry over to a certain extent betweendifferent tournament seasons, but may also be adjusted based on certainfactors (e.g., lack of activity). In some embodiments, players that haveplayed in previous seasons may enter the following season at a highertier than brand new players. Further, the highest-ranked players may bedropped down a level so that they have room improve throughout theseason.

A tournament may be customized in accordance with certain specifiedparameters, such as the game title(s) to be played, type of tournament(e.g., single elimination, double elimination, Swiss-system, roundrobin, deathmatch, racing), bracket types, match types, timeframe, anumber of participants, and requirements or parameters forparticipating, match duration, level of competition, specific maps to beplayed, and/or strategies to be implemented. In some embodiments, thetournament organizer may further specify how the players may qualify, aswell as how gameplay may be evaluated. For example, the tournamentorganizer may specify one or more in-game conditions or actions thatincrease or decrease the player's rankings with respect to otherplayers. In some instances, a player access list can be used to specifyspecific players or types of players to be included (or excluded) fromcompetition in a given tournament. Some tournaments may be available tohigh-ranking players only, while other tournaments may be organizedspecifically for casual or new players.

The online tournament system 112 may further provide a way for playershaving a user account in the gaming network platform to register fortournament play. Because the registering player may already have a useraccount, registration for tournament play may involve linking orotherwise accessing the user account information for use in tournamentregistration, as well as for associated qualification verification,recruiting and invitations, team-building, notifications, reminders,match scheduling and check-ins, updated brackets, results verification,real-time reporting, dispute management, and broadcast/streamproduction. A player account may be associated with a group of friends,for example, which may be a basis for sending out invitations toparticipate in the tournament, team-building, or organizing spectatorwatch parties.

For game titles that may be played in teams, a team may be associatedwith a team account or profile that includes such data for use by onlinetournament system 112. Such a team profile may be linked to theindividual team member profiles. The online tournament system 112 mayprovide team management tools for use in scheduling and otherwisemanaging tournament participation by the team.

Spectator tools may also be provided to enable users to discover, tunein, watch, and interact in relation to the tournament. Discovery mayinvolve providing certain kinds of information (e.g., from player orteam profiles) so that a would-be spectator may determine whether aplayer, team, match, tournament, commentator, or other contentproducer/streamer may be of interest. A spectator—who may have their ownuser account—may further subscribe or follow a player, team, game title,or tournament of interest. Such a subscriber may therefore be providedwith automatic notifications based on certain events or activities(e.g., scores, lead changes, game results, standings after each round,updated brackets) detected on the platform as being related to thesubject of interest.

In addition to the features discussed above, online tournament system112 may further use such data from user and team accounts and profilesto track tournament progress, update brackets and leaderboards, schedulematches, and perform other tournament-related functions. Conversely,information regarding each individual player's or team's progress oractivities within the tournament may be automatically populated to therespective player or team profile. For example, a player profile may betagged or include some other indicator that the player is participatingin a particular tournament, what ranking or seeding the player isassigned, schedule of tournament matches, opponents (and associatedrankings), real-time tournament data related to the player, links tostreams of previously played tournament matches, links to activetournament matches, information regarding future tournament matches,etc.

Moreover, a spectator looking to observe a particular player may belinked to information regarding tournament streams involving the playerof interest, as well as other tournament information regarding theplayer. In addition, a spectator looking specifically to observetournament matches may be linked to active tournament streams of ongoingmatches, as well as be provided with the latest updates regarding thetournament.

Because the metrics that are used to evaluate player performance for aparticular game can vary widely between game title and type, the abilityto rank and seed players require consideration of certain metrics. Suchmetrics may be converted from data generated in existing game titles ormay be tracked at the platform during certain specified gameplay modes.Some legacy game titles may have their own ranking systems, which atournament organizer may or may not rely on. A tournament organizer mayelect to convert some or all of the existing ranking systems for use intournament play. Creation of a tournament and corresponding parameterscan be managed at the platform level, for example, by one or more ofplayers 108-110. That is, individual players, player collectives, orother parties can specify the game-performance attributes desired forstructuring the tournament.

To convert a legacy game title, a conversion key—provided by the gametitle developer or another party—may be applied to specificgame-performance attributes so as to evaluate different players'performance relating to the game title in a standardized way. Forexample, the conversion key may extract and evaluate certain metrics(e.g., number of points scored, number of points allowed, number ofkills, race times) with appropriate weights applied to each metric.Legacy game titles that rank each user using basic points-based systemsmay be mapped directly via percentiles of the ranked players.

Such standardization further allows for an objective comparison of skilllevel, which may provide a basis for rankings, seedings, andmatchmaking. Different genres of games—and different roles within eachgame—may involve different standards. Team-based gameplay, for example,may involve teammates with different types of skill sets (e.g.,different weaponry, resources, in-game abilities, powers, etc.). Assuch, the game play of different team members may be evaluated inaccordance with the different standards despite playing in the same gametitle.

In some embodiments, a game developer may elect to take advantage of thetournament tools provided by online tournament system 112 to supporttournaments for a certain game title. Such game titles may thereforeoffer a tournament mode in which gameplay is associated with anidentified tournament, whether for qualification, participation, orreporting. A player may elect to play in other modes, for example, whilelearning to play a new game title, play in a different role/character,practicing certain skills, casual games, or other types of game that theplayer may not want to be counted or considered with respect to atournament.

Tournament mode may also be used to qualify and be ranked or seeded fora tournament. As noted above, a tournament organizer may specify certainrequirements, qualifications, or grouping criteria (e.g., for differentskill levels). To qualify to play in an expert-level tournament, aplayer must be ranked at a certain level (e.g., top 50) among allplayers on the gaming network 104 platform that have registered with thetournament. A player seeking to qualify at that level may selecttournament mode after training in practice mode, and points or othermetrics achieved during a game played in tournament mode may thereforebe considered in ranking that player. In some cases, metrics may beweighted based on various factors, including degree of difficulty,expertise or ranking of the opponent(s) played, how recent theachievements were, context of game (e.g., qualifying round vs. finals),etc. During a qualification period, for example, online tournamentsystem 112 may evaluate the game performance attributes, and gameplaystatistics to determine a skill level for each player in a given league,e.g., using processing/ranking module 118. Determinations of skill levelcan vary depending upon the specified game performance attributes, andcan vary between game titles, and/or game genres. By way of example,skill level for a given player can be based on one or more of: collectedpoints, a number of wins/losses, total game time, achieve difficultylevel, and/or a number of “kills,” etc. Because game play occurs on thegaming network 104 platform, online tournament system 112 may obtainsuch results automatically and in real time, thereby by allowing formetrics generation, evaluation, and use in updating rankings,achievements designations, and leaderboards.

In some aspects, players registered for a given tournament can be rankedinto multiple categories or tiers of skill level. For example, playersmay be categorized into a platinum tier for being in the top 2% ofplayers, into a gold tier for being in the next 20% of players, into asilver tier for being in the next 28% of players, and into a bronze tierdesignated for the last 32%. Such tiers may further be subdivided asneeded into + or − subdivisions. A player categorized as gold+ may beclose to being moved into the platinum tier, for example, while a playercategorized as gold− may be close to falling into the silver tier.

Designations of achievement or skill level can be provided based on theoverall ranking of a player or group of players. For example, digitalbadges, trophies, or medals can be provided to the top-ranked player (orplayer team), and published on an associated player (or team) profile.Such designations may be awarded as to a current season and remainvisible in future seasons. Different designations may be provided fordifferent game titles, different combinations of achievements, overallratings, etc. Not only can such designations and tier levels serve asthe basis for matching competitors, but such indicators may be searchedby spectators looking to watch players of a certain level in a certaingame title. Various search and sorting options may be provided (e.g.,game title, ranking, stream parameters) so that players or potentialspectators may filter through the available game streams, players,teams, tournaments, etc. to find other players of interest. A player maywish to find a similarly-skilled practice sparring partner, for example,or a teammate with complementary skills. Such spectators may choose tofollow such players, for example, and request notifications, reminders,and schedules relating to matches involving the player(s) of interest.In some embodiments, such designations may be made available throughother outlets (e.g., stream sources such as Twitch) for searching andfiltering based on a standardized skill evaluation system.

Different ranking systems may be available for different game titles.Moreover, different ranking systems may be available for tournaments. Atournament may involve multiple game titles, for example, and as such, aranking system may combine and/or weight different individual rankingswithin the game titles as desired by the tournament organizer. Anoverall ranking for any combination of games played on the platform mayalso be available. As such, a player may distinguish themselves as askilled player not only in one or a few game titles (or even a gamefamily or genre), but within multiple different types of games.

Depending on the number of registrants, a tournament may hold a set ofqualifying rounds to reduce the number of registrants to a desirednumber. Alternatively, the tournament organizer may elect to have aninvitation-based system based on rankings and any other factors deemedappropriate.

Moreover, because the online tournament system 112 is in communicationwith gaming network 104, the online tournament system 112 may receiveand analyze game data in real-time. As such, online tournament system112 may detect when a match has started, when the match is particularlyactive or competitive, and other in-game events. For example, certainin-game events may be associated with certain game data or metrics. Useof certain weaponry, exhibition of certain character moves or maneuvers,scoring in a certain amount or pattern, etc., may be indicative of anunusual or otherwise notable in-game event. As such, screenshots orvideo may be captured regarding such events and published with linksthat can take a spectator to the stream, whether at the beginning of thematch or directly to illustrated point of interest. Such links may beaccessed in real-time (e.g., as the match is occurring) or inassociation with an archived stream. In some embodiments, such links maybe published on the gaming network 104 platform (e.g., landing pages,leaderboards, communities, forums, user profiles, team profiles,tournament profiles, bookmarks) or on sites associated with the player,team, developer, tournament organizer, broadcaster, or other contentproducer or streamer.

The identification of unusual, interesting, or otherwise significantevents may also allow for advertising, promotion, discovery, and relatedfunctions. As such, notifications, reminders, video clips, screenshots,and other data may also be generated and provided to other parties,players, spectators, and potential spectators in real-time regardingsuch events. Such data may also support commentators and third-partybroadcasters/streamers for use in producing their respective contentstreams. In some embodiments,

FIGS. 2 and 3 respectively illustrate methods 200 and 300 for providingonline tournament integration. The methods 200 and 300 of FIGS. 2 and 3may be embodied as executable instructions in a non-transitory computerreadable storage medium including but not limited to a CD, DVD, ornon-volatile memory such as a hard drive. The instructions of thestorage medium may be executed by a processor (or processors) to causevarious hardware components of a computing device hosting or otherwiseaccessing the storage medium to effectuate the method. The stepsidentified in FIGS. 2 and 3 (and the order thereof) are exemplary andmay include various alternatives, equivalents, or derivations thereofincluding but not limited to the order of execution of the same.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method 200 for onlinetournament integration. In method 200 of FIG. 2, a tournament requestmay be received. Gameplay relating to one or more game titles on theplatform may be tracked, and platform-level rankings may be maintainedfor each tournament registrant (individual player and/or team).Qualifying registrants may be identified and brackets generated based onsuch rankings. For each match in the tournament, a stream may begenerated automatically and associated with the respective players/teamsparticipating therein.

In step 210, a tournament request may be received by online tournamentsystem 112. As noted herein, the tournament requested may be small(e.g., requested by an individual user for a small group of friends) orlarge (e.g., massive multiplayer game titles with numerousparticipants). A tournament request may involve one or more game titlesavailable through gaming network 104, as well as may specify a varietyof parameters for qualifying, rankings, scheduling, etc. A player havinga user account (or team having a team account) on gaming network 104 mayregister and have their data automatically shared with online tournamentsystem 112 for use in facilitating registration, rankings, promotions,awards, searches, and other tournament-related activities. Thetournament request may further explain the ranking system, which mayinclude any combination of gameplay metrics used to evaluate eachregistrant in a standardized way.

In step 220, gameplay may be tracked for the game titles specified inthe tournament request. As described above, a player may switch betweendifferent modes of game play. While gameplay during practice mode may beexcluded from consideration with respect to towards tournamentqualification, gameplay during a tournament mode may be considered andits metrics counted toward tournament-related rankings. The particularmetrics being tracked and evaluated may differ by game title and byparameters specified by the tournament organizer. Further, theparameters may be weighted differently based on preferences specified bythe tournament organizer as well.

In step 230, the relevant gameplay by all tournament registrants maytherefore be ranked in accordance with the tournament-specificparameters. One or more leaderboards (e.g., individual metrics orcombined metrics) may be maintained throughout the qualification phaseand tournament. Designations indicative of high metrics may also bepopulated to the profile of the player or team that achieved suchmetrics. Such designations may include badges, trophies, titles, etc.,and may be awarded periodically (e.g., highest scorer during a specifiedweek) or for an overall tournament.

In step 240, the qualification phase may end with a number of registeredplayers (or teams). If the number is higher than the number specified bythe tournament organizer, one or more initial rounds may be held todetermine which players/teams advance to the official tournament rounds.Some embodiments may allow the top players to advance automatically(e.g., a bye), while lower-ranked players may be required to compete inthe initial rounds in order to continue to play in the tournament.

In step 250, brackets may be assigned. In some embodiments, brackets maybe assigned based on rankings. The type of brackets may depend on thetype of matches (e.g., head-to-head or multiplayer) being played.Further, rankings may also be adjusted during the tournament. As such, aplayer or team that has a low ranking at the beginning of the tournamentmay nevertheless advance and be given a top seed based on high-leveltournament play. As noted above, because the tournament games are playedin gaming network 104, the gameplay data therein may be automaticallyevaluated and published to various profiles, landing pages, and otherdesignated outlets and recipients.

In step 260, a broadcast stream may be automatically generated for eachtournament game and published on the gaming network 104 platform in anyof the various pages and locations discussed herein. The broadcaststream may further be tagged with any of the relevant data associatedtherewith, including participating players, teams, game titles,respective designations (e.g., involving a top-ranked player), and anyin-game events that may be determined to be of interest.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating another exemplary method 300 foronline tournament integration. In method 300 of FIG. 3, a plurality oftournaments may be hosted on a platform. Tournament achievements may betracked, which may include achievements by multiple players and teams inmultiple game titles. Participant profiles—whether individual player,team, or both—may be updated in real-time to indicate not only that theparticipant is currently playing a match against one or more otherparticipants, but also notable in-game events (e.g., scores, leadchanges, kills, certain moves or maneuvers, exercise of certain powers).A spectator or prospective spectator may indicate certain parameters ofinterest (e.g., certain game titles, certain players, skill level ofinterest). The available tournament streams may be filtered and sortedbased on the indicated parameters, and the filtered and sorted resultsmay be displayed in conjunction with any applicable designations ofnotability.

In step 310, multiple tournaments may be hosted on the gaming network104 platform. Such tournaments may be organized and held as describedwith respect to the method illustrated in FIG. 2. Such tournaments mayinvolve any combination of game titles and players/teams as specified bythe respective tournament organizers.

In step 320, any achievements occurring during the tournaments may betracked in real-time. Because the games or matches are being played onthe gaming network 104 platform, the respective gameplay data may beevaluated in real-time to identify noteworthy in-game events, which maynot only include scores or lead changes, but also unusual movementcombinations, notable speeds, notable kills, etc.

In step 330, participant profiles may be updated in real-time regardingsuch achievements, so as to notify spectators, subscribers, developers,sponsors, broadcasters, commentators, upcoming competitors, etc. Suchachievements may also be published or otherwise pushed out throughvarious channels (e.g., Twitch) that may track such players, teams, ormatches.

In step 340, stream parameters may be specified by a party interested inthe tournament. A potential spectator, for example, may be a user ofgaming network 104 who may have subscribed to watch matches involvingcertain tournament participants (players or teams). As such, any streamsinvolving the subjects of interest may be filtered and sorted based onthe parameters. Sorting may further be based on current rankings,current participation in a match, notable in-game events, etc., or anyother factor of interest that may be specified by a spectator.

In step 350, the available streams may be filtered and sorted inaccordance with the parameters specified in step 340. In some instances,the available streams may include archived but unwatched streams, aswell as live streams.

In step 360, the filtered and sorted results (e.g., a list of streams)may be displayed to the requesting party. The bases for such filteringand sorting—which may be associated with the notability designationsdiscussed herein—may also be displayed in conjunction with the results,thereby allowing the party (e.g., spectator) to jump not only to astream of interest, but directly to a notable event depicted within thestream.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary user device 400. User device 400 (e.g., desktop,laptop, tablet, mobile device, console gaming system) is a device thatthe user can utilize to facilitate carrying out features of the presentinvention pertaining to the viewing of third party content.

The user device 400 may include various elements as illustrated in FIG.4. It should be noted that the elements are exemplary and that otherembodiments may incorporate more or less than the elements illustrated.With reference to FIG. 4, the user device 400 includes a main memory402, a central processing unit (CPU) 404, at least one vector unit 406,a graphics processing unit 408, an input/output (I/O) processor 410, anI/O processor memory 412, a controller interface 414, a memory card 416,a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface 418, and an IEEE 1394 interface420, an auxiliary (AUX) interface 422 for connecting a tracking device424, although other bus standards and interfaces may be utilized. Theuser device 400 further includes an operating system read-only memory(OS ROM) 426, a sound processing unit 428, an optical disc control unit430, and a hard disc drive 432, which are connected via a bus 434 to theI/O processor 410. The user device 400 further includes at least onetracking device 424.

The tracking device 424 may be a camera, which includes eye-trackingcapabilities. The camera may be integrated into or attached as aperipheral device to user device 400. In typical eye-tracking devices,infrared non-collimated light is reflected from the eye and sensed by acamera or optical sensor. The information is then analyzed to extracteye rotation from changes in reflections. Camera-based trackers focus onone or both eyes and record their movement as the viewer looks at sometype of stimulus. Camera-based eye trackers use the center of the pupiland light to create corneal reflections (CRs). The vector between thepupil center and the CR can be used to compute the point of regard onsurface or the gaze direction. A simple calibration procedure of theviewer is usually needed before using the eye tracker.

Alternatively, more sensitive trackers use reflections from the front ofthe cornea and that back of the lens of the eye as features to trackover time. Even more sensitive trackers image features from inside theeye, including retinal blood vessels, and follow these features as theeye rotates.

Most eye tracking devices use a sampling rate of at least 30 Hz,although 50/60 Hz is most common. Some tracking devises run as high as1250 Hz, which is needed to capture detail of very rapid eye movement.

A range camera may instead be used with the present invention to capturegestures made by the user and is capable of facial recognition. A rangecamera is typically used to capture and interpret specific gestures,which allows a hands-free control of an entertainment system. Thistechnology may use an infrared projector, a camera, a depth sensor, anda microchip to track the movement of objects and individuals in threedimensions. This user device may also employ a variant of image-basedthree-dimensional reconstruction.

The tracking device 424 may include a microphone integrated into orattached as a peripheral device to user device 400 that captures voicedata. The microphone may conduct acoustic source localization and/orambient noise suppression.

Alternatively, tracking device 424 may be the controller of the userdevice 400. The controller may use a combination of built-inaccelerometers and infrared detection to sense its position in 3D spacewhen pointed at the LEDs in a sensor nearby, attached to, or integratedinto the console of the entertainment system. This design allows usersto control functionalities of the user device 400 with physical gesturesas well as button-presses. The controller connects to the user device400 using wireless technology that allows data exchange over shortdistances (e.g., 30 feet). The controller may additionally include a“rumble” feature (i.e., a shaking of the controller during certainpoints in the game) and/or an internal speaker.

The controller may additionally or alternatively be designed to capturebiometric readings using sensors in the remote to record data including,for example, skin moisture, heart rhythm, and muscle movement.

As noted above, the user device 400 may be an electronic gaming console.Alternatively, the user device 400 may be implemented as ageneral-purpose computer, a set-top box, or a hand-held gaming device.Further, similar user devices may contain more or less operatingcomponents.

CPU 404, vector unit 406, graphics processing unit 408, and I/Oprocessor 410 communicate via system bus 436. Further, the CPU 404communicates with the main memory 402 via a dedicated bus 438, while thevector unit 406 and the graphics processing unit 408 may communicatethrough a dedicated bus 440. The CPU 404 executes programs stored in theOS ROM 426 and the main memory 402. The main memory 402 may containpre-stored programs and programs transferred through the I/O Processor410 from a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, or other optical disc (not shown) using theoptical disc control unit 432. The I/O processor 410 primarily controlsdata exchanges between the various devices of the user device 400including the CPU 404, the vector unit 406, the graphics processing unit408, and the controller interface 414.

The graphics processing unit 408 executes graphics instructions receivedfrom the CPU 404 and the vector unit 406 to produce images for displayon a display device (not shown). For example, the vector unit 406 maytransform objects from three-dimensional coordinates to two-dimensionalcoordinates, and send the two-dimensional coordinates to the graphicsprocessing unit 408. Furthermore, the sound processing unit 430 executesinstructions to produce sound signals that are outputted to an audiodevice such as speakers (not shown).

A user of the user device 400 provides instructions via the controllerinterface 414 to the CPU 404. For example, the user may instruct the CPU404 to store certain information on the memory card 416 or instruct theuser device 400 to perform some specified action.

Other devices may be connected to the user device 400 via the USBinterface 418, the IEEE 1394 interface 420, and the AUX interface 422.Specifically, a tracking device 424, including a camera or a sensor maybe connected to the user device 400 via the AUX interface 422, while acontroller may be connected via the USB interface 418.

The present invention may be implemented in an application that may beoperable using a variety of devices. Non-transitory computer-readablestorage media refer to any medium or media that participate in providinginstructions to a central processing unit (CPU) for execution. Suchmedia can take many forms, including, but not limited to, non-volatileand volatile media such as optical or magnetic disks and dynamic memory,respectively. Common forms of non-transitory computer-readable mediainclude, for example, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, a hard disk,magnetic tape, any other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM disk, digital videodisk (DVD), any other optical medium, RAM, PROM, EPROM, a FLASHEPROM,and any other memory chip or cartridge.

Various forms of transmission media may be involved in carrying one ormore sequences of one or more instructions to a CPU for execution. A buscarries the data to system RAM, from which a CPU retrieves and executesthe instructions. The instructions received by system RAM can optionallybe stored on a fixed disk either before or after execution by a CPU.Various forms of storage may likewise be implemented as well as thenecessary network interfaces and network topologies to implement thesame.

The foregoing detailed description of the technology has been presentedfor purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the technology to the precise form disclosed.Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the aboveteaching. The described embodiments were chosen in order to best explainthe principles of the technology, its practical application, and toenable others skilled in the art to utilize the technology in variousembodiments and with various modifications as are suited to theparticular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of thetechnology be defined by the claim.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for online tournament streaming, thesystem comprising: a game network server that tracks real-time gameplaydata associated with a plurality of user accounts, the tracked dataindicating gameplay of a plurality of game titles; and a tournamentserver that: receives a request for a tournament, wherein the requestfurther specifies one or more parameters for one or more of the gametitles, ranks the user accounts based on the gameplay data that meetsthe specified parameters for the specified game titles, identifies a setof the user accounts as qualified for the tournament based on theassigned ranking, assigns each of the qualified user accounts to a matchwithin a bracket of the tournament based on the ranking, generates astream for each match in the bracket, wherein the stream is associatedwith the user accounts assigned to the corresponding match, anddistributes the generated stream to one or more user devices over acommunication network.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the tournamentserver assigns each of the qualified user accounts to a match bydetermining a seeding for each of the qualified user accounts.
 3. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the tournament server further weights thespecified parameters based on one or more preferences of a tournamentorganizer associated with the request.
 4. The system of claim 1, whereinthe tournament server further tags the stream to indicate data regardingthe corresponding match.
 5. The system of claim 4, wherein the stream istagged to indicate at least one of a player, team, game title, rankdesignation, or type of in-game event.
 6. The system of claim 1, whereinthe tournament server further generates a notification that includes alink to the stream when tracked gameplay data associated with thecorresponding match meets one or more stored metrics associated with apredefined designation of notability.
 7. The system of claim 6, whereinthe link is associated with the predefined achievement, and whereinselection of the link initiates a jump directly to a portion of thestream associated with the predefined designation.
 8. The system ofclaim 6, wherein the tournament server further sends the notification toa subscriber device based on the predefined designation of notabilitycorresponding to one or more subjects of interest indicated in a profileassociated with the subscriber device.
 9. The system of claim 1, whereinthe tournament server further: filters a plurality of streams associatedwith the bracket based on a selected parameter; and generates a displayof the filtered streams, wherein at least one stream is associated witha visual indicator regarding a predefined designation of notability. 10.A method for online tournament streaming, the method comprising:receiving tracked real-time gameplay data associated with a plurality ofuser accounts, the tracked data indicating gameplay of a plurality ofgame titles; receiving a request for a tournament, wherein the requestfurther specifies one or more parameters for one or more of the gametitles; ranking the user accounts based on the gameplay data that meetsthe specified parameters for the specified game titles; identifying aset of the user accounts as qualified for the tournament based on theassigned ranking; assigning each of the qualified user accounts to amatch within a bracket of the tournament based on the ranking;generating a stream for each match in the bracket, wherein the stream isassociated with the user accounts assigned to the corresponding match;and distributing the generated stream to one or more user devices over acommunication network.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein assigningeach of the qualified user accounts to a match includes determining aseeding for each of the qualified user accounts.
 12. The method of claim10, further comprising weighting the specified parameters based on oneor more preferences of a tournament organizer associated with therequest.
 13. The method of claim 10, further comprising tagging thestream to indicate data regarding the corresponding match.
 14. Themethod of claim 13, wherein the stream is tagged to indicate at leastone of a player, team, game title, rank designation, or type of in-gameevent.
 15. The method of claim 10, further comprising generating anotification that includes a link to the stream when tracked gameplaydata associated with the corresponding match meets one or more storedmetrics associated with a predefined designation of notability.
 16. Themethod of claim 15, wherein the link is associated with the predefinedachievement, and wherein selection of the link initiates a jump directlyto a portion of the stream associated with the predefined designation.17. The method of claim 15, further comprising sending the notificationto a subscriber device based on the predefined designation of notabilitycorresponding to one or more subjects of interest indicated in a profileassociated with the subscriber device.
 18. The method of claim 1,further comprising: filtering a plurality of streams associated with thebracket based on a selected parameter; and generating a display of thefiltered streams, wherein at least one stream is associated with avisual indicator regarding a predefined designation of notability.
 19. Anon-transitory computer-readable storage medium, having embodied thereona program executable by a processor to perform a method for onlinetournament streaming, the method comprising: tracking real-time gameplaydata associated with a plurality of user accounts, the tracked dataindicating gameplay of a plurality of game titles; receiving a requestfor a tournament, wherein the request further specifies one or moreparameters for one or more of the game titles; ranking the user accountsbased on the gameplay data that meets the specified parameters for thespecified game titles; identifying a set of the user accounts asqualified for the tournament based on the assigned ranking; assigningeach of the qualified user accounts to a match within a bracket of thetournament based on the ranking; generating a stream for each match inthe bracket, wherein the stream is associated with the user accountsassigned to the corresponding match; and distributing the generatedstream to one or more user devices over a communication network.